Tagged: tip

Cleaning Tips w/c 10.11.14

Hello lovely people of the Internet, did you see our visual cleaning tips last week on Facebook? You didn’t? Oh no…

Well the Mama Mopp thought it would be a good idea that we should put them on our website too, just to show visitors, a bit of what your missing out on over on Facebook, you know, er… should you.. err… wanna come over there and like us? 😉

We get that not everyone in the world has a Facebook (really?) so, if you prefer to see written tips, in 140 characters or less, we can do that for you too, over on Twitter at 11am, Monday through Friday. (GMT) If you fancy just a smattering of tips and would rather know what goes on behind the scenes of Mopp Towers, you can add us on Instagram for that.

Social bunch, us Moppettes you know.

Take a look at the weeks round up of the top 5 cleaning tips and let us know your favourite. If you have a cleaning tip that you would like to share with us, please contact us and make sure to include your name so we may give you full credit.

My favourite essential oil is lavender. Mmmmm mmmm What will use inside your loo role when trying our cleaning tip for a fresh loo?

Grease on your clothes? Ugh! Try our handy cleaning tip that will have them banished in a jiffy

We hope you enjoyed the round up of last weeks top 5 cleaning tips and that some, if not all of them, will be useful to you at some point. Don’t forget if you have a top cleaning tip of your own, you can share it with us and we’ll share it with the world – just don’t forget to give us your name!

So, you have finally decided to get some help in your home. Yay! Brilliant news, just think of all that time you will have to play with, ah good times, lunch with friends, reading that long meant to be read book, taking a stroll… but before we rush ahead, we need to find the right person to clean our homes for us. But who? And how?

As, those regular readers will know, there are four types of cleaning service to choose from, so this post is written to encompass them all – some questions will apply to all business models some questions will not, use your ‘noggin on that.

Where to find a cleaner or cleaning service

By word of mouth – who does your friend use to clean their home? Who does your colleague use? Ask around, hear some reviews.

Local publications – Local sole traders and businesses tend to advertise in local press and magazines

The internet – Type in different search words like “cleaners in Telford” or “Domestic Cleaners in Telford” to find what you are looking for – please note that the top three results in the yellow area are paid for placings

By leaflet Drop – Leaflet dropping is very popular for cleaning businesses, even in this high tech age. When calling from a leaflet make sure it has actual details about the actual business and is in fact a real, registered business and not just somebody looking to make a quick buck.

Things you need to know about you cleaning Service

Are they insured? – What are they insured for, what does it cover? What is the value of their insurance? What is the excess on the insurance and who would be responsible for that in the event of a claim?

How do they vet their cleaners? – How are the employees or subcontractors referenced? Where did they recruit them? How much of the cleaners back ground do they check?

How do they train their cleaners? – Do they have a training process? Do they give any training?

How do they quality check the cleaning work? How do they ensure your cleaner is working the correct times and/or delivering the correct standard?

Who can I call if I have a problem or issue?

What do I do if I am not happy with my clean?

Things you need to know about your cleaner

How long have they worked for the business/franchise/agent/themselves?

How many other houses do they clean?

Do they have references and recommendations?

What training have they had?

Each area can go more in depth and I will be writing future blog posts on interview questions to ask a cleaner/business owner but for now you are armed and ready to find that domestic cleaning fairy to serve you and your home.

I have a black and white tiled floor. The tiles are porcelain and no matter how I clean them, my floor always looks dull and not quite clean. What can I do to make my floors shine?

Answer:

Porcelain tiles are widely used in our homes and offices , they look nice and they are quite easy to take care of with a little know-how.

Quick Cleaning Guide to Porcelain

Vacuum or sweep tiled area prior to mopping – pay particular attention to the corners and sides of the room

Choose your cleaning solution based on the tile type – see below

DO NOT use ammonia or bleach based products on porcelain as it can discolour the tile and alter the grout colour

DO NOT use solutions that contain oil-based detergents, sealant or wax cleaners

Use rugs at all entrances where there are porcelain tiles to prevent walk through of girt and dirt that may damage and scratch your tile

Different Type of Porcelain Tile and how to clean them

Unpolished Tile – For flooring with a moderate dirt level

Vac/sweep – for best results use a clean, dry mop instead of a broom

Saturate floor with cleaning solution and clean first in horizontal and then vertical motions, for a thorough coverage

For stubborn stained areas, scrub the solution into the area with a nylon brush or scrub brush (avoid wire wool products)

Rinse the floor with clean, clear water using a new mop head from the dirty one or using a steam mop

Leave to dry in ventilated room or towel dry/buffer depending on size of the area

Polished/Glazed porcelain tiles

Vac/Sweep

Mop the floor with a mild cleaning solution – On a polished tile you need 50% less product than what you would on an unpolished floor – Mrs Mopp would recommend a cleaning agent that is non-soap based neutral PH cleaner or using a white vinegar mix (2 gallons hot water – 1/4 cup white vinegar)

Rince tiles with clear, clean water

Polish by hand, with a buffer , or with a clean, dry, flat-head microfibre mop to bring to a high shine. If you are cleaning a large floor area you may want to clean the floor in sections, as is the water is allowed to dry you will get water spots and streaking on your tile.

Textured Tile

A textured tile will require a little more cleaning time. Standard wet mopping will not clean the tile to its best, so it is important with a textured tile to clean a little more frequently

Vac/Sweep – for sweeping using a soft bristled broom, First sweep in the direction of the tile and then re-sweep in the opposite direction to ensure all dirt is picked up that may lodge in crevices or the groove of a tile.

Scrub/mop floor with a neutral cleaning solution, again cleaning in both directions. First cleaning one way and then the other to ensure even coverage.

Rinse the floor with clean, clear water and leave to air dry or towel dry/buffer depending on area size

For stubborn stains or high traffic areas it is recommend you clean the floor this thoroughly at least once a week and vac/wet mop daily

The most important thing to remember is to rinse any product – bought or natural – off the floor once washed. For quick cleaning use only hot water and a clean mop head after vacuuming or sweeping and allow to dry or buff if the room is not well ventilated

If you are potty training, have a family member with incontinent issues or have a new pet, the chances are you are going to end with a few accidents on your floors or chairs. Urine is not the easiest of stains to clean up as it is the salt within the urine that crystallizes and acts as a desiccant – this means that the salts attract moisture and never really dry out, so on hot days or rainy days the smell may become worse.

Some cleaning agents will help remove the stain and the odors but most just mask the smell on a temporary basis only; as the months and even years pass after the urine stain has been left the salts will still be active and it is these properties that form bacteria and make the smell that lingers in the air. In order to get rid of nasty smells altogether we need to clean the stain and deodorize the area

There are several chemical based products available for dealing with all types of urine stains from pets to people and a selection can be found here and I would also recommend washing the carpets with clothes washing powder, as not only will this clean the stain but will also deodorize the area too.

However, if you wish to attack the cleaning in a more natural way, below are some tips and techniques to try:

ALWAYS, always, always dab up as much of the pee before attempting to clean. Note the word DAB not rub. Use an old rag you can wash, paper towels or even newspaper. Stand on the cloth and apply pressure to the pee stain, keep repeating this cycle until the the paper towels/cloth does not seen to be absorbing any further. This step is the first step regardless of if you are using chemical or natural methods, the less pee we have to deal with the better right?

1. Using Vinegar – Use neat in a spray bottle or at a 80:20 dilution if you would prefer to weaken the smell a little. Always test on an inconspicuous area of your carpet first. Spray the vinegar mist over the damp patch – the vinegar will not remove the urine but it will help to break it down and loosen it from the fibers of your carpets or furniture. Once sprayed, get scrubbing… rinse and repeat the cycle if necessary. When the carpet has been scrubbed within an inch of its life (especially important if puppy wee to stop them follow their own scent and peeing in exactly the same spot again!), dab up any excess water and sprinkle the carpet with baking soda, leave over night and vacuum up the next morning

2. Using baking powder – Using 1 part baking powder and 2 parts water, make a paste that should be a toothpaste like consistency. Scrub the paste into the damp spot and again, using elbow grease get scrubbing the spot. Once you have scrubbed the fibres with the paste, leave on the stain over night – wash and dab dry the following day

Once the stain has been washed always deodorizer the area with a sprinkle of baking powder, the use of a perfumed fabric spray or household items such as mouthwash

3. If you find that the smell or stain isn’t lifting after chemical and natural methods then it is time to call in a professional carpet cleaner to treat much deeper into the fibers

4. However sometimes no matter what you do it may already be too late and the carpet or an area or carpet will need replacing – if urine has gone unnoticed and was not cleaned straight away it will seep in past the fibers to the backing of the carpet and into the underlay to the floor or through to your cushions if a sofa – this is as serious problems and all the baking powder in the world will not help.

Prevention is most certainly better than cure in the case of urine, so my advice is to always have your product of choice and cloths ready to use in an accessible area as if you are about to embark on a puppy or start potty training a toddler, you need to be on “Pee Patrol” and ready to act straight away on those little accidents that happen

Q: Removing dry emulsion from sofa fabric, any ideas? (and yes the painter has been shot)

A: As the paint is already dry the first thing is to try and remove the majority of it before we make the stain wet again.

With a palette knife, small scraper or similar object start scraping off the paint that is on the top layers of the fabric. Depending on how old (or deep) the stain is, scraping should remove the great majority and all that will remain is to sponge the stain with warm water and a clothes detergent.

However, if the stain has become imbedded deeper in the fabric, take a look at the two methods below, depending on the composition of the paint used…

1. Latex Paint

Using a spray bottle Lightly mist the paint stain with water. (This removal process is effective for both wet and dry paint stains on fabric, once the excess paint has been removed)

Now for the hard work – Firmly dab the stain with a clean, dry cloth/towel until no more paint transfers over. The water spray will bring the paint out of the fabric. Ensure to use pressure when dabbing to ensure it lifts from the fibers below the ones you can see

Apply rubbing alcohol to a clean cloth and start to gently rub the stain ** CAUTION** Always test an inconspicuous area of the sofa first to ensure it does not damage the colour

Use warm water, with a tablespoon of clothes detergent, and wash the area

Use clean water and another clean cloth to rinse off the area, removing all soap and any remains of the rubbing alcohol

Leave to dry

2. Oil Based Paint

After scraping paint off, use a sponge dipped in turpentine and dab the stained area ** CAUTION** Again test an area out of sight on your sofa

Use a clean cloth to dab after you have dabbed with the sponge soaked in turpentine and you should see the paint lifting onto the cloth

Keep repeating the process of sponge dabbing with turpentine, followed by dabbing with a clean cloth until the stain is gone

Use warm water, with a tablespoon of clothes detergent and wash the area

So far this week we have sorted out your Junk Mail and de-cluttered your Office Space but today we move onto the house… We can’t delay it anymore, we have to tackle the big stuff!

As with all cleaning, one should start up and work down and we are going to do exactly that, starting with the bedroom…

Is your bedroom your sanctuary? Is it a tranquil place that you can unwind and relax in or is it cluttered, with clothes strewn across chairs and in piles, DVDs/CDs/Books stacked in every corner or bulging from shelves or wires from chargers, straightener’s and alarm clocks in every socket? In our busy and active lives our bedrooms should be a pleasure room for relaxation and sleep only, not to work in, haggle in, pay bills in… just to relax and sleep.

In this post we are going to look at 3 main areas of the bedroom to de-clutter and offer you 5 tips on how to stay on top of it all once you have a achieved you peaceful, zen like bedroom.

Where Do I Start?

1. Furniture

Have a look at the furniture in your bedroom and what it’s function is – ask yourself if it’s needed or if there is a better way of storing it’s contents. Do you really need all your coats and jumpers in your wardrobe all year round? Do you really need every one of your 73 pairs of shoes in the bottom of your wardrobe? Do you really need a drawer full of scarfs?

As with anything you have constant contact with, it can become hard to see the wood for the trees and I would recommend asking a friend to help with their fresh eyes. Ask your friend how they would lay your bedroom out if it were their room, if they think it is streamlined and using the space you have efficiently; sometimes even shifting a wardrobe from one wall to another can make a huge difference to the feel of space in a room

When reviewing your furniture, should you find a particular piece that is redundant in your bedroom, look at using it elsewhere in your home, donate it to a charity (http://www.netcycler.co.uk or http://www.frn.org.uk/) or sell it on in your local newspaper (most local newspaper offer a free selling service for items under £200)

2. Clothing

Clothing will be the biggest hurdle to your de-cluttering effort in your bedroom, as most people will own far more of it than they will actually need. In todays society we will have winter and summer wardrobes, shoes, boots, belts, scarfs, accessories, hats, bags, jumpers… Where does it all live and do we need it all?

The first task is to open your wardrobe doors (and with your tough mind from the office de-clutter), be honest with yourself, in scrutinising your clothes and ask yourself the following questions

1) Do I wear it?

2) When was the last time I wore it? (My rule is a 6 months – If you have not wore one of your winter jumpers from October to April, remove it from the wardrobe)

3) Does it fit me? – Now this may sound like a crazy question but I know plenty of folk who keep clothes that are too small as they are their “Inspirational” clothes or they keep clothes too big for them “just in case”

4) Do I like it? – Again, not a crazy question, from personal experinace, I had a dress that I very much liked on the hanger, however, it does nothing for me in real life; I would take it out of the wardrobe, try it on, hate it, take it off, hang it back up and repeat the pattern weeks/months later… Let it go

5) Will I wear it in the next 6 months? – I recommend splitting your wardrobe into Spring/Summer, Autumn/Winter. When you are in one season the other half is packed up and put in the attic, under the bed, in a storage cupboard… you don’t need your snow boots and woolly jumpers in July!

For the clothes you have managed to part company with you can donate them to your local charity shop, in a clothes bank or have it collected from a national organisation (www.clothesaid.co.uk) or sell them (Ebay, PreLoved, BigWardrobe to name a few)

3. Bedding

Do you have bright colours, abstract designs or many colours, patterns and fabrics mish-mashed together? Your bedding may be too busy, making the room look cluttered or smaller than it is. Take a look at the below three points to help

1) Use White or neutral bedspreads and curtains to keep the room simple and fresh looking

2) Pillows – Less is more; do you really need a gazillion “show” pillows on your bed that you have to take on and off on a twice daily basis… really??

3) Cuddly toys – If you are under 10, we should have a review of how many you have and come to a mutually beneficial solution… if you are over 10 we need to talk! The odd teddy bear, even in a grown up bedroom, can be cute but to have a collection of 15 teddy bears is too much, looks too much, attracts too many bed bugs and lots of dust. Again, less is more sometimes

Okay you have reviewed your furniture, ransacked your wardrobes and drawers, removed 43 teddy bears and changed your bedding from flouresent pink to white with a hint of pink… now what?

Daily Tips

1. Make your bed as soon as you get up and out of it

2. Open blinds/curtains straight away and open a window to air the room, even if only for the 10 minutes you are in the shower

3. When you get home from work/being out hang up your clothes or put them in the laundry, resist the urge to put on a chair (in fact let’s remove the chair!)

A: The three things that would be worth a try (in order) are 1) Sugar soap 2) Lemon and salt paste 3) Baby shampoo… HOWEVER always test an inconspicuous patch first to test. To avoid in the future, try netting across windows and door in the summer months

Years before supermarket shelves were packed with an array of brightly coloured bottles promising to kill 99.9% of all germs or promising to clean an item so brightly that you could use it as a make shift mirror, the world of cleaning used natural remedies and sometimes slighty unnatural remedies to get results…

1. Lemon Juice can be for stains and rust on plastic – use diluted or neat

2. Use diluted lemon juice on a curry stain on a carpet to remove stain and freshen fabric

3. For spills on carpets, use soda water dabbed on to remove staining from pile

4. Remove water marks from wooden surfaces with a small amount of mayonnaise or toothpaste on a damp cloth

6. To make your chrome sparkle and shine, pour flour over, rinse and buff with a soft cloth

7. To make your stainless steel shine, rub it over with baking powder and buff up with a ball of scrunched up newspaper

8. Want to perk up your wooden furniture? Wash wood with a white vinegar/water solution, leave over night, then polish and buff surfaces as normal the next day

9. For tough, hard to shift stains and for disinfectant properties use white vinager and water, with a 1:5 ratio

10. To remove lime scale from a shower head, leave in a bowl of white vinegar overnight

11. Remove hard water marks from toilet bowls by tipping in fizzy cola, leaving for an hour and then flushing

12. Rub plant leaves with a small of amount of mayonnaise or milk on a paper towel to make them shine for weeks!

13. To make small brass or copper items shine, rub with a cotton swab that has been dipped in ketchup, then buff

14. Use WD-40 to remove sticker marks from plastic tubs and items

15. Want to find another use for vodka other than having a party… how about using it on a soft clean cloth to shine porcelain, chrome or glass

16. Use rice to clean inside vases, bottles or hard to reach areas by mixing rice with a water/vinegar solution, shaking vigorously and rinse out (rice is also good for putting into your salt pot to protect from moisture)

17. To remove rust from items put the kettle on (no, not for you) and make some strong black tea, wait for it to cool and place the item in the tea for an hour to overnight depending on the level of rust

18. To remove wax and paraffin stains on furniture use glycerine (bought from chemists and is harmless on skin)

19. Another top tip for carpet spills, sprinkle over the spill with corn starch, leave for 15 mins and then vaccum

20. To remove mineral stains from glass built up by dishwashers or hard water areas rub with freshly peeled potato skins and buff